A key Latino group and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott agreed to a compromise set of interim redistricting maps Monday for the 2012 election that would give Hispanics two of the state’s four new congressional districts. However, the Texas Democratic Party and other groups suing the state rejected the proposal, arguing that the deal still shortchanges minority voters.

The San Antonio court charged with drawing the state’s interim maps told the parties to keep talking Monday afternoon.

“Even though we don’t reach compete agreement with all the parties, we believe the agreement reached is substantial enough to move swiftly to finalize the maps in time for April elections,” Abbott told reporters in a conference call. However, he suggested that the primaries might have to be delayed until
April 17.

As part of the agreement, Abbot said that if the San Antonio court accepts the deal without making any significant changes, the state wouldn’t appeal the maps to the Supreme Court again.

The proposed compromise would:

— Force U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, back into a Hispanic-dominated district that runs from Austin to San Antonio, along I-35.

— Transform a new Fort Worth-area coalition district that probably would have elected an African American into a district dominated by Latinos.

— Undo many of the changes made by the Republican-dominated Legislature to the South Texas congressional districts of Blake Farenthold and Francisco “Quico” Canseco in a bid to help them win reelection.

The agreement also included proposed interim maps for the Texas House and Senate that make them marginally more favorable for Democrats.

Under the proposal, Harris County’s delegation to the Texas House would still be reduced from 25 to 24; however, the new proposal combines the districts of Republicans Sarah Davis and Beverly Woolley , instead of the two minority-dominated Democratic districts picked by the Legislature.

“It is a plan that we can live with because it does create two Latino opportunity districts on the House side and two Latino opportunity districts on the congressional side,” said Nina Perales, an attorney for Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is one of the major groups suing the state. “These maps can be used through 2020.”

However, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the NAACP and the Texas Democratic Party announced Monday afternoon that they would not support the deal.

“It’s just his opinion that seems to have the tacit approval of two of the litigants in this case,” Martinez Fischer said. “General Abbott needs to keep working a little harder to get the seven other plaintiffs that don’t see this map as an improvement.”

Texas NAACP chairman Gary Bledsoe said there was a high likelihood that groups opposed to the deal would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if the San Antonio court accepts the compromise.

“We don’t think it’s good for the Latino or African American Communities,” he said.